What Is Compulsive Buying Disorder? Signs To Look Out for Indicating Shopping Addiction

Retail therapy can make one feel good, but too much shopping can be unhealthy and may affect your mental health. An expert shared some red flags to spot if your shopping habits have already gone out of hand.

Shopping Addiction Red Flags

Maria of Hellenic Therapy Center shared some signs of compulsive buying disorder just in time before the Black Friday sale. After celebrating Thanksgiving, many would line up at Walmart, Target, Wayfair, and other stores to get the best deal. However, sometimes, one forgets if they need to buy the item they want to purchase. Too much shopping can be problematic as it can affect one's finances and mental health.

Issues emerge when buying becomes a coping mechanism or a way to hide unpleasant emotions like loneliness, melancholy, or anxiety or when a person's shopping habits endanger their financial security. Some symptoms that your purchasing habits are troublesome or symptomatic of other underlying problems include the following:

Frequent or bothersome impulses or thoughts to make purchases. This can result in compulsive buying and be a pointless diversion from everyday living. It could also be an indication of an underlying obsessive-compulsive illness.

Intense and erratic feelings associated with shopping. Making a purchase makes you euphoric for a little while but later leaves you feeling guilty or regretful.

Incapacity to restrain or manage purchasing habits. If you know that your shopping habits are negatively impacting your life, yet you find it difficult to resist the desires, you should ask for assistance to get the behaviors under control. The process may include identifying any underlying causes to avoid additional harm.

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What Is Compulsive Buying Disorder: How To Address It?

Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) is the excessive purchase activity and shopping cognitions that cause anguish or impairment. The illness is seen worldwide, with a lifetime frequency of 5.8% in the overall US population.

Approximately 80% of clinical study participants were female, yet this gender disparity may be artifactual. Individuals with CBD shared that they become obsessed with shopping, feeling tense or anxious before making a purchase, and feeling relieved afterward.

Significant mental comorbidity, including eating disorders, anxiety and mood disorders, substance use disorders, and other impulse control disorders, is linked to CBD. Axis II disorders seem to be met by most people with CBD, yet there is no distinct "shopping" personality type. Mood and drug disorders are common in families where compulsive shopping runs.

To address compulsive buying, Maria suggests taking the time to pause and notice the emotions. If the desire to purchase stems from an urge and not because you need the item, try to find a healthier way to address the feeling.

Engage in healthy hobbies, exercise, or call a friend. Also, list what you need to shop and avoid browsing stores without a particular purpose.

She also recommends unsubscribing from stores' promotional emails, unfollowing brands on social media, and installing ad blockers to avoid temptation.